Our prime minister has been dining out for two years now on his self-proclaimed feminism. Yesterday in the United States, he made another appearance at a women’s leadership summit, where he was widely cheered and fawned over, as usual. It never hurts Trudeau to be seen in that kind of environment, especially when it invites inevitable comparisons with Donald Trump. But Trudeau is in danger of overplaying his hand and his supporters at risk of missing the point.

If we want true equality in Canada, we shouldn’t aspire to have more male prime ministers who call themselves feminists and put women in important but supporting roles. The milestone I’m looking forward to, as the father of a six-year-old girl and someone who cares deeply about women’s rights, is when we finally have a female political leader whose party wins an election, giving her the chance to make decisions that in this country have almost always been made by men.

Justin Trudeau has done his part for the cause, but he’ll never be a role model for young girls. Unfortunately, with the three major parties still led by men, that day still appears to be a long way in the future.

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